awake

pronunciation

How to pronounce awake in British English: UK [əˈweɪk]word uk audio image

How to pronounce awake in American English: US [əˈweɪk] word us audio image

  • Verb:
    stop sleeping
  • Adjective:
    not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
    not unconscious; especially having become conscious
    (usually followed by `to') showing acute awareness; mentally perceptive

Word Origin

awake
awake: [OE] Awake was formed by adding the intensive prefix ā- to the verb wake (in Old English wacan or wacian, related to watch, and also ultimately to vegetable, vigil, and vigour). The adjective awake arose in the 13th century; it was originally a variant form of the past participle of the verb.=> vigil, wake, watch
awake (v.)
a merger of two Middle English verbs: 1. awaken, from Old English awæcnan (earlier onwæcnan; strong, past tense awoc, past participle awacen) "to awake, arise, originate," from a "on" + wacan "to arise, become awake" (see wake (v.)); and 2. awakien, from Old English awacian (weak, past participle awacode) "to awaken, revive; arise; originate, spring from," from a "on" (see a (2)) + wacian "to be awake, remain awake, watch" (see watch (v.)). Both originally were intransitive only; the transitive sense being expressed by Middle English awecchen (from Old English aweccan) until later Middle English. In Modern English, the tendency has been to restrict the strong past tense and past participle (awoke, awoken) to the original intransitive sense and the weak inflection (awakened) to the transitive, but this never has been complete (see wake (v.); also compare awaken).
awake (adj.)
"not asleep," c. 1300, shortened from awaken, past participle of Old English awæcnan (see awaken).

Antonym

adj.

asleep

Example

1. I would eat so I would stay awake .
2. This reduces the time you are awake in bed .
3. The watches reliably indicated when the teenagers were awake and asleep .
4. But today you are preciousand rare and awake .
5. The person remains fully awake .

more: >How to Use "awake" with Example Sentences